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Thanks to goals from prodigy Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, Barca defeated Bilbao 2-1 in round 2 of La Liga.
At home at Montjuic yesterday, August 24, Hansi Flick's team continued to press high as they did in their opening match, winning 2-1 against Valencia last week. They had 66% possession, 13 shots, including five on target - compared to Bilbao's nine.
In the 23rd minute, the score was opened for Barca. The best young player of Euro 2024, Yamal, ran from the left wing to the center and shot towards the far corner. The Bilbao defender tried to head the ball away, but only changed the trajectory of the ball and could not prevent the goal.
On Bilbao's side, Nico Williams and his brother Inaki Williams did not have many opportunities to shine. The four defenders Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez and Alejandro Balde helped Barca control the two stars of the away team.
In the 35th minute, Lewandowski almost doubled the gap. The Polish striker escaped to the left wing of the penalty area, but his curling shot hit the post and went wide.
Seven minutes after Lewandowski's missed goal, Bilbao surprisingly equalized. In a fight for the ball in the penalty area, Cubarsi fell on Alex Berenguer's leg, leading to a penalty for the visitors. Oihan Sancet then successfully kicked the ball to level the score at 1-1.
But the goal conceded at the end of the first half did not faze Barca. After the break, the home team increased the pressure on Bilbao's half. Winger Raphinha continuously made classy moves to create scoring opportunities. In the 56th minute, if Raphinha's header from a free kick had not hit the post, Lewandowski could have increased the score to 2-1. The Polish striker continued to miss the opportunity from Raphinha's cross in the 71st minute. This time, he tapped the ball into goalkeeper Alex Padilla.
Barca then continued to exploit Bilbao's right flank. In the 75th minute, Lewandowski finally found the net. Raphinha initiated the goal by passing the ball to Pedri who was running down the left side of the penalty area. After goalkeeper Padilla pushed away Pedri's cross, Lewandowski fired home the rebound to seal a 2-1 victory.
This was Lewandowski's third goal in two La Liga games this season. The 36-year-old Polish striker scored both goals against Valencia in the previous game. Lewandowski is returning to the form he enjoyed during his time at Bayern and under Flick, when he scored 55 goals in 47 games in 2019-20 and 48 goals in 40 games in 2020-21.
VN (according to VnExpress)